UC Davis’ Karen McDonald wins ACS Gaden Award for cultivated meat techno-economic research

Distinguished Professor Emerita of Chemical Engineering Karen McDonald of the University of California, Davis, has received the Biotechnology and Bioengineering Gaden Award from the Division of Biochemical Technology at the American Chemical Society (ACS), recognizing her contributions to biotechnology and bioengineering over the course of her career.

• Karen McDonald received the ACS Biotechnology and Bioengineering Gaden Award for her contributions to techno-economic modeling in biotechnology, including cultivated meat production systems.
• The award recognized her 2023 paper analyzing the impact of bioreactor scale, design, and media costs on the commercial viability of cultivated meat.
• McDonald accepted the award at the ACS Spring 2026 Meeting in Atlanta, where she presented her research and discussed training programs at UC Davis.

The award, named after Elmer L. Gaden, Jr, founder of the journal Biotechnology and Bioengineering, is presented on behalf of the publication and John Wiley & Sons, Inc. It is one of the most established recognitions in the biochemical engineering field, highlighting individuals whose work has made a lasting impact on the discipline.

McDonald was selected for her research into techno-economic modeling, particularly as it applies to emerging areas such as cultivated meat. Her work has focused on understanding the economic and engineering constraints that shape the scalability of new biotechnologies, with a specific emphasis on how production systems can transition from laboratory to industrial scale.

Central to the recognition was her 2023 paper, Techno-economic Modeling and Assessment of Cultivated Meat: Impact of Production Bioreactor Scale. The study examined how factors such as bioreactor size, alternative reactor configurations, and the cost of cell culture media influence the feasibility of commercial cultivated meat production.

The research outlined that scaling up bioreactors, developing new reactor designs, and reducing input costs are all critical steps toward making cultivated meat commercially viable. By quantifying these variables, the study provided a framework for companies and researchers working to move the technology beyond pilot stages and into large-scale manufacturing.

Reflecting on the award, McDonald emphasized the collaborative nature of the work. “The Gaden Award is great to receive on behalf of our research team, particularly as it is in honor of Elmer L. Gaden, Jr, who is often referred to as the father of biochemical engineering,” she said. “Also, because it recognizes our team’s work in techno-economic modeling and analyses.”

McDonald received the award in March at the ACS Spring 2026 Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia. As part of the event, she delivered a presentation summarizing the findings of the award-winning paper, along with insights from related research conducted by her group.

Her presentation extended beyond technical findings to include a discussion of education and workforce development. McDonald highlighted undergraduate and graduate training programs at UC Davis that focus on techno-economic modeling, an area she has helped to develop as a critical skill set for the next generation of biochemical engineers.

These programs aim to equip students with the ability to evaluate not only the scientific feasibility of new technologies, but also their economic viability. In fields such as cultivated meat, where production costs remain a major barrier, this dual perspective is increasingly seen as essential.

The Division of Biochemical Technology within ACS, which selected McDonald for the award, brings together researchers, industry professionals, and students working across the biotechnology sector. The division focuses on advancing technologies that can improve quality of life, with applications ranging from pharmaceuticals to sustainable food systems.

McDonald’s recognition reflects the growing importance of techno-economic analysis in biotechnology, particularly in areas where scaling challenges remain significant. Her work has contributed to a broader understanding of how innovations in bioprocessing can be translated into commercially viable solutions.

By focusing on the intersection of engineering design, cost analysis, and biological systems, her research has helped to clarify the pathways required for technologies like cultivated meat to reach the market at scale. The emphasis on bioreactor design and media cost reduction, in particular, has become a central theme across the sector.

The Gaden Award places McDonald among a group of researchers whose work has shaped the evolution of biochemical engineering. For cultivated meat and related fields, her contributions have provided a structured approach to evaluating one of the sector’s most persistent challenges: how to move from promising laboratory results to economically sustainable production.

As the industry continues to evolve, the insights from McDonald’s research are expected to remain relevant for both academic and commercial efforts seeking to address scalability and cost in biotechnology applications.